The Union
by MariaLouisa
Summary: Camellia is anything but ordinary, but when she meets a creature even stranger than herself, what will happen? A/N: Camellia is inspired by Zoey Redbird  House of Night series. AU.
1. Prologue

**Chapter 1**

Feeling the elements greet me, I walked on into my little clearing. It was a rather cold day, but the power of Fire kept me warm, while a gentle breeze played with my long dark hair. I smiled to myself, smelling the sea and watching the grass beneath my feet starting to look a lot livelier than it had just before. Above all, I felt the power of the Spirit brush me and touch my heart.

Camellia Aura Ella. Yup, that's my name. My mother was definitely not one to follow the stream when it came to naming me. I often asked her about my name when I was little, and she told me, that Camellia and Ella were names of beautiful flowers, while she chose the name Aura because she said she felt mine strongly when I was born, when I was in her womb, even. My mother was what you might call somewhat of a hippie slash spiritualist. I grew up learning about the elements around us and how to pay respect to them, and when she found out I had the power of healing, she trained me in using my powers appropriately.

Now, you've probably realised that I keep talking about my mother in past tense. See, the thing is, my mother is dead. She died when I was just a young girl at 16, having taught me as much as she could. She, too, was in touch with the elements, and sometimes she would take me out onto this field behind our house at night to look at the stars and help me establish my own contact to the elements. It was one morning after one of those nightly trips I found her dead in her bed. She had suffered from a fatal heart attack and died at the age of 36. The following time was hard for me, of course, and for a while, I blocked out all abilities and the elements. They reminded me too much of her.

Back in the clearing, I felt the Spirit brush me again, and I smiled to myself. When I had started summoning the elements again, my mother's scent had surrounded me as I summoned the element of the Spirit, and her voice whispered in my ear how she would guide me through life from where she was now. No matter where I was, she would be there to help.

I inhaled deeply and took in her scent around me. "Hello mother," I whispered. Her voice in the wind immediately answered me. It was inaudible to anyone but me, but still we would have long conversations like this.

After a long while I realised I had to get home. As I bid the elements farewell, I couldn't shake this odd feeling of being watched, and as I turned to leave, I swore I could see a couple of dark crimson eyes look at me from the woods. I blinked and tried looking closer, but if anything had been looking at me, whatever it was, was gone. "You need to get a hold of your fantasy, girl," I thought to myself, closing my eyes. I looked in the direction where I had seen the eyes, but nothing was there. I shook my head at myself. I needed to get home.


	2. Introduction to a Mystery

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or Jasper Whitlock Hale. A girl can dream, though :)_

* * *

**Chapter 2:**

That night, I woke up in a sweat. In my dream, the crimson eyes had been looking at me from the woods with a glint of evil. The thought of the eyes made me shudder, and I decided to go out into my little back yard and watch the stars. The sky was clear and looked like it had been embezzled with millions and millions of tiny diamonds. I sighed, feeling the peace and calm of the night run through me. Then, the feeling of peace was changed to the feeling of being watched. I sat up from lying on the grass, and looked around. Then I saw them. The same crimson eyes as I had seen in the clearing. If it hadn't been for the light of the full moon, I wouldn't have been able to see them. Nevertheless, here they were, looking back at me.

"Hello? Who's there?" I tried, looking searchingly into the woods coming up to my back yard. No answer.

"Who's there? Come out if you can hear me," I said, trying to sound stern when in reality, I was shaking like a leaf on the inside. Just then, a soft wind caught my hair, and my mother's voice whispered, "Do not be afraid, sweetheart. He's not here to hurt you."

"Okay," I thought, "It is a human being. There's nothing to be afraid of."

Just then, there was a rustle in the leaves, as whoever was there started coming closer. I couldn't believe my eyes. Out of the shadows walked a man, only he was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. With the wind playing in his honey blonde hair and the moonlight reflecting off of his pale skin, it was the eyes that held my attention. They were a dark crimson, and as we stood there, I suddenly felt a rush of calm surge through me. Instantly I knew this was not natural, as it seemed completely illogical to be calm in a situation like this, and silently I started calling out for the elements, in case I should need to defend myself. As I felt the elements rushing through me, the beautiful man's face showed the expression of shock and curiosity, as if he knew what was going on inside of me. Then, he put on a neutral mask, and then he spoke with a voice as soft as velvet.

"Good evening," he politely said, "I am sorry to have interrupted you."

I remained silent. What do you reply to that? After a minute, I simply asked, "Who are you?"

"My name is Jasper Whitlock," he introduced himself, "and you are?"

"Camellia Aura Ella," I replied. A look of slight amusement crossed his face, and I felt anger starting to bubble inside. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, I'm sorry if it seemed as if I found your name amusing. It's just very... fitting," he replied, a small smile playing across his perfectly shaped lips.

A slight frown appeared on my face. Did he know? Had he seen me contacting the elements the other day? Trying to push it out of my head, I instead asked him what everyone else would.

"What are you doing here?"

The man named Jasper was silent for a while. Then he said, "I was talking a walk, supposedly it is a good cure for insomnia. Apparently, I haven't really paid attention as to where I was going, and then I ended up here."

Hearing this explanation, I felt anger bubbling in the pit of my stomach once again. Not only was there a beautiful, but strange man in my back yard, but he was also lying to me. I didn't need the elements to tell me that.

Then it happened again. Not long after my anger had started building had it been replaced with the same feeling of calm. I gasped, feeling the emotion wash over me, and before I could even think, I whispered, "How do you do that?"

He looked shocked, as if I had just riddled him out, exposing him as something amazing, but secret. Soon after, his face was back in those neutral folds, and he didn't reply, as if he hadn't heard me. Not being willing to let it go, seeing as he had lied to me, I decided to pursue the answer.

"How do you do that?" I asked him again, only this time, my voice was loud and clear.

His face became serious.

"I could ask you the same thing," he murmured. Then, with one last glance of those crimson eyes, suddenly several shades darker, he turned around and took off into the forest. Again, I heard my mother's voice.

"Do not worry, sweetheart. You will see him again."


	3. Secrets Revealed

**It's been a long while sinceI last updated this story. All inspiration was gone, but now it's back and I intend on writing more soon, hopefully the inspiration will come rolling in as the story progresses :)**

**This chapter is quite longer than the previous chapters, since I felt it was time Jasper and Camellia were properly introduced and got to know each others abilities. I didn't want to just scoot quickly over the details, so it ended up being a long chapter. Whoever reads this, enjoy :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Jasper Whitlock. I wish, though...**

* * *

The following week, my mind constantly wandered, and somehow, it always seemed to land on that man. Jasper Whitlock, as he had introduced himself. I didn't even have to close my eyes to see him before me; I remembered it all so clearly. His honey blonde curls in the wind, the way the moonlight seemed to radiate off of his skin, and mostly the way his crimson eyes had stared into mine. Those eyes. I would have believed him to be just another human being, if it hadn't been for his unusual eye colour. Well, for all I knew it could have been contacts, but still I couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't the case.

The weeks passed with no further encounters, though I think I secretly wished to meet this creature again. I wanted to know who he was, what he was. I wanted to know why his eyes sparkled that peculiar crimson colour; I wanted to know if or how he had known about my summoning the elements and mostly, I wanted to know why he had come to exactly this place.

That night, I decided to speak with my mother. As I summoned the elements, I was on guard, watching for those crimson eyes.

"Hello, my child. What is troubling you?" my mother's gently voice whispered to me.

"Mother, I'm so confused. I know he can't be human, but what is he?" I answered quietly. After all, it wasn't common to stand in your back yard talking to yourself.

"I cannot tell you, sweetheart. It is not my place. But you will find out soon enough," her voice replied.

"How soon, mom? I have thought so hard about this, it seems like it's all I've thought about lately. Nothing makes sense. Mostly, how did he make me feel calm?" I asked her, slightly frustrated about this mystery I couldn't seem to solve.

"Very soon, darling. Just be patient. You will know everything soon enough," her voice whispered.

* * *

Exactly four weeks since our first encounter, he was back. I was quietly talking to my mother when I had the feeling I was being watched.

"Is it him?" I asked my mother in a whisper.

"Yes, sweetheart. You will soon find the answers to your questions," she replied. I stood up from where I was sitting and walked closer to the forest.

"Jasper Whitlock, I know you're there. Come on out," I called, and surely enough, he walked out of the forest a minute later.

"Good evening, miss," he greeted, his voice heavy with a southern twang.

"You're back," I simply stated. He smirked.

"Yes, it appears that I am," he replied.

"I have some questions for you," I told him. I decided being forward was the only way to go around this.

He raised his perfect eyebrows, giving me an amused look.

"Is that so? And what might those questions be?" he asked.

"First of all, what are you? I know you're not human, you just can't be," I asked him. The amused look on his face quickly vanished.

"I can't tell you. I would have to kill you if I did," he said. He didn't look as if he was joking.

"Why?" I asked, "Are you some kind of monster since you can't tell me?"

As soon as I said the word monster, he flinched slightly.

"I guess you could say that. I am dangerous, especially to a fragile human like you," he answered, a slight growl painting his voice.

Just then, a gust of wind caught my hair, blowing in Jasper's direction. Within seconds, I watched as his eyes turned black and a snarl escaped his throat. He crouched, as if ready to attack me, and as he leaped towards me, I instinctively thrust my hands forward and warded off the attack, sending him back 3 feet.

He quickly sprang back to his feet, looking ready to charge again.

"Mother, help me," I whispered, and the force of the Spirit filled me.

"Talk to him," my mother's voice whispered in my ear.

"Mr. Whitlock, I am capable of defending myself, as you can see," I said, trying to sound secure, but the tremble in my voice gave me away.

"That's right, little human. Be scared. You should be. I am, after all, a monster," he snarled as he crouched.

"I don't believe you," I whispered. He stood up straight.

"Excuse me?" he said.

"That's it, sweetheart. Keep up the conversation," my mother whispered.

"I said I don't believe you," I said, feeling more confident this time.

"Oh really? And why is that?" he said, a snarl still dominating his voice.

"Because I believe that monsters choose to be what they are. From the way you acted when we first met, I don't think you want to be a monster," I replied. He remained silent.

"Isn't that right?" I asked him. He closed his eyes and I realised he wasn't breathing. Two minutes later he opened his eyes and once again, they had a red tinge to them.

"My deepest apologies miss. I did not mean to attack you. I shall be leaving," he said and turned to leave.

"Wait!" I called out, making him turn around again.

"At least just answer me. What are you?" I asked. A smirk crept onto his face.

"I will tell you if you do the same," he replied.

I contemplated for a moment and then nodded. I needed to know what he was.

"Maybe I can give you a few clues, make a game out of this," he said, his eyes twinkling playfully. I just nodded again.

"My eyes are, as you can see, red. My skin is pale and cold for a human to touch. I have only come here at night. I don't sleep. I don't age. Are those enough clues?" he asked, seemingly amused by this little game of his.

I thought for a moment, then shook my head in disbelief of my conclusion.

"Mother, can it really be?" I whispered.

"Yes, child. You have guessed right. Now answer," my mother whispered.

Looking up at him, I spoke.

"Vampire," I simply stated. A small smile spread on his face.

"That's right," he answered. "You're very clever for a human."

Now it was my turn to smile.

"I'm no regular human, Mr. Whitlock," I replied with a smirk.

"Is that so? Yes, I hardly feel any surprise coming from you," he said, his eyebrows scrunching in thought.

"Well, Mr. Whitlock, since I now know what you are, I feel I should return the favour," I smirked.

"Please, call me Jasper. Mr. Whitlock was my father," he replied with a chuckle.

"Alright then, Jasper," I replied, my smirk still on my face.

"But please do, I'm rather intrigued of how you warded off my attack," he said.

"Well you see, Jasper, you're not the only supernatural being in the area," I said mysteriously.

"Is that so? What are you, a witch?" he asked. I chuckled.

"Gods, no. I'm not a witch. I don't know what we're called, really. But I do know it's rather unusual," I replied. I watched as Jasper continued to look interested. He nodded his head as to tell me to continue.

"I can summon the powers of all five elements," I told him. "Air, water, fire, earth and the Spirit. I can summon them, and they will help me, like they helped me ward off your attack. Apparently it's heretical, since my mother passed it on to me like her mother before her. I guess some would call it witchcraft, but it's nothing like that."

As I continued telling him about my abilities, he listened with sincere interest. As I finished, he spoke.

"I have never met someone with that ability. Imagine what a powerful vampire you would be with the powers you already possess," he said thoughtfully. I chuckled.

"Well, I have no intentions of becoming a vampire in the near future," I said, making him chuckle as well.

"There's something I've been wanting to ask you," I told him. He nodded as if to tell me to go ahead.

"How did you make me feel calm last time we met?" I asked. A smile spread across his face.

"Some vampires have special... abilities," he explained. "When I was alive, I was what people would call very charismatic. I lied myself older than I really was to join the army during the Civil War at seventeen, and by the age of twenty, I was the youngest major in the army. When I was turned, that trait evolved into my current ability. I can feel and manipulate emotions of others, vampires as well as humans. So when I felt your anger that night, I made you feel calm instead. Imagine my surprise when I felt what must have been you summoning the elements," he finished with a slight chuckle, making me chuckle along with him.

Just then, the moon broke through the skies and shone down on us. I gasped. Not only was Jasper's beauty strongly enhanced by the moonlight radiating off his skin, but I noticed now that his neck and exposed lower arms were peppered with crescent shaped scars. Without thinking, I reached out and gently traced one on his left arm, making him flinch slightly at my touch. I quickly drew my hand back.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable," I quickly said. He closed his eyes for a second before opening them again to look at me.

"Don't be. It's just been a long time since I've touched a human... Well, apart from when I feed," he said. A frown fell on his face as he said that, and something dawned on me.

"When you feed... on humans... you feel everything they do, don't you?" I whispered.

He didn't reply. Stepping back, he gave a nod and said, "I have to leave now. Goodnight, miss Camellia," before turning around and disappearing into the forest at supernatural speed, leaving me standing in my back yard.

"Goodnight, Jasper," I said, silently asking the wind to carry my reply to him, before retreating back into my house for the night.


End file.
